SENIOR coaches are pushing for a marketing pool of money to be available for them similar to the $35 million fund for the game’s star players.
As part of wide discussions with the AFL Coaches Association over summer and pre-season, the coaches are keen to formalise an arrangement similar to the deal that will be brought in this year for the game’s highest-profile players to earn more via marketing.
As the AFLCA’s chief executive Alastair Nicholson spoke with coaches over the pre-season and again at Monday’s AGM, the marketing fund will again be pushed in talks with the AFL, with termination clauses, a transition fund, coaching strategic framework and consultation on rules also part of the AFLCA’s agenda this year.
“It’s something that can be looked at. We’ve got a very rigid soft cap and we’ve got very high-profile and marketable people in the game being the senior coaches. I definitely think because it does exist for players it’s something that could exist for senior coaches,” Nicholson told AFL.com.au.
“It can go both ways – it could be for commercial or media purposes over and above what they do in their soft cap and coaching role, as well as in the right areas for game development.
“It was certainly discussed in the past and is something we were keen to push, but it hasn’t become a part of an agreement, so we’re keen to revisit that. We think it is a way to reward senior coaches over and above what they do outside of a rigid soft cap where they’re probably caught in their ability to expand and earn while they have their time in the role.”
Senior coaches were paid on average around $750,000 last season.
Nicholson pointed to the transition fund out of the coaching game as being key to the AFLCA’s priorities this year, with AFL.com.au reporting earlier this week the League was undertaking a review of the coaches union as the Coaches Association strived to get a three-year funding model delivered. He also said more consistency around termination clauses within deals was a focus out of club visits and the meeting of members on Monday, particularly with assistant and development coaches.
“There’s clubs who receive extra funding from the AFL and there’s restrictions on the terms of what their termination clause length can be and other clubs can do what they desire,” he said.
“If we can get some more consistency then that’s something we’re striving for. At the senior coach level I think there’s some similar themes there and if we can continue to push that and get as much protection for senior coaches in their pretty tough roles then that’s also a goal as well.”
As part of discussions, there was broad support from the senior coaches to change the substitute rule. Nicholson said although the group had different views on the solution, there was wide agreeance on the need to change it from its current model.
“There’s a strong collective view on that. It’s a good time to engage on that and work through it on the season and both sides can understand where the other one is coming from in regard to it,” he said.
With Ken Hinkley handing over the coaching reins at Port Adelaide to Josh Carr at the end of this season and Justin Longmuir this week changing his deal to move to an ongoing employment agreement, Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge heads into the season as the only out-of-contract head coach in 2025.
Nicholson supported Longmuir’s new agreement as he came into his sixth season as Dockers coach.
“It might not become the norm but I’m open to that because in this case I think both parties were keen to go that way so I think that’s a sign of a good agreement,” Nicholson said.
“The reality is it’s still a high-performance industry and that’s why having really good support amongst coaches moreso than the past is really important because whatever contract construct there is, it’s a tough job.”
